Chapter 101: Possibility

Chapter One Hundred One
Possibility

The Nation of Evernight atop the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range worshiped “the Lord of Night, Mother of the Sky”… Does that have some connection to the Demonic Wolf of Evernight, Flegrea? Is that why the illusory ravings I hear are “Hornacis… Flegrea”?

What connection does the ancient god Flegrea, the Demonic Wolf of Evernight, have with the Goddess? According to Roselle, Sequence 0 equals a true god, and there is only one Sequence 0 for each Sequence… Did the Goddess inherit the authority of the Demonic Wolf of Evernight? Is She not the oldest deity, not the eye of the Creator She claims to be?

Mm. There is one side clue that does not quite count as proof. Members of the Life School of Thought worship the moon, worship the crimson moon said to have evolved from one of the Creator’s eyes, yet they do not believe in the Evernight Goddess…

Klein connected many things all at once. Controlling The World, he weighed his words before speaking.

“Is there nothing else?”

“No. Matters regarding Flegrea, the Demonic Wolf King, belong to myth and legend even in the City of Silver.”

The Sun, Derrick, felt that he had practically not answered the question. Somewhat embarrassed, he suggested, “Mr. World, you may ask another question.”

Ask another question? Little Sun, you really are far too honest… Then I will not stand on ceremony!

Klein made The World speak in a hoarse voice.

“Your honesty and trustworthiness leave a deep impression.”

“I once encountered a Beyonder who could freely switch between physical body and Spirit Body, and who could drive living corpses. Do you know which pathway and Sequence this belongs to?”

Although The Sun was in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, in the City of Silver, and could not possibly have any connection to Backlund, the capital of the Loen Kingdom, Klein remained cautious. He changed the “she” that referred to Miss Sharron into “he.”

“Right. He is not a high-Sequence powerhouse,” The World added in a low voice.

The Sun, Derrick, seriously recalled the contents of his textbooks.

“If he is not a high-Sequence powerhouse, then the Phoenix pathway can be ruled out.”

“Phoenix pathway?” Klein deliberately had The World show a certain amount of surprise.

After attending so many gatherings, The Sun, Derrick, was very clear that the City of Silver’s customary names for Sequence pathways differed somewhat from Miss Justice and the others’ descriptions. Not finding it strange, he explained, “It is the Beyonder pathway that governs death and partly controls the spirit world.

“Its Sequence 9 is Corpse Collector.”

So it is the Death pathway… Looking at it that way, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace was the ancient Death…

Seated motionless at the head of the bronze long table, Klein controlled The World and nodded.

“I understand. Continue.”

The Sun, Derrick, immediately answered, “I can think of only two possibilities. The first is a special Demon. As I said before, Demons that evolve from different races are each different. Among them, there are types whose bodies and Spirit Bodies can freely transform into one another. But such cases are very rare, and they may not necessarily be able to command living corpses.”

“Can humans do it?” The World asked back.

“No. At least, I do not know of any similar example,” The Sun, Derrick, said honestly.

“Then what is the second possibility?”

Klein recalled Miss Sharron’s usual manner and her performance in battle, and The World changed his sitting posture accordingly.

Derrick answered gravely, “Mutant.”

“Mutant? Does that not refer to monsters?” The World asked hoarsely.

Klein remembered clearly that Mr. Azik had once mentioned that “mutants” was a general term for cursed humans. Because their curses differed, mutants formed different races.

Normally, they were the same as humans. But in their hearts, twisted and suppressed desires always lurked. Once a specific situation appeared, or once they were stimulated by specific things, those desires would erupt, and they would transform into monsters, wantonly satisfying cravings for slaughter, blood, and similar urges.

Every eruption made them a little colder. Eventually, they would completely lose the positive emotions belonging to humans.

The most representative among them were Werewolves.

The Sun, Derrick, nodded frankly.

“Yes. Mutants are all kinds of monsters that split off from humanity because of the negative effects brought by certain Beyonder characteristics.”

Not curses, but negative effects brought by certain Beyonder characteristics?

Sitting within the dense gray fog, The Fool, Klein, discovered that this differed somewhat from Mr. Azik’s description.

Is this how mutants were understood before the Cataclysm? Common knowledge known to everyone in the City of Silver is extremely valuable to Beyonders on the Southern and Northern Continents…

Klein increasingly recognized the uniqueness of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

At that moment, Derrick continued, “The traits that mutants possess happen to form a Beyonder pathway. Therefore, ordinary humans can also become mutants by consuming potions.”

“Mutant pathway? Which pathway is that? What is its corresponding Sequence 9 called?”

Klein, feeling rather curious, made The World ask.

The Sun, Derrick, did not care how many questions the other party had already asked. He regarded this as a necessary supplement.

“In the City of Silver, the corresponding Sequence 9 is called Prisoner.

“The mind is the prisoner of the body, and the body is the prisoner of the world. This refers to bound madness and suppressed desire.”

Prisoner?

This pathway is held by the Rose School of Thought. They are known for bloody sacrifices and worship a so-called Chained God… Miss Sharron does not look like someone so cold-blooded and slaughter-happy… Wait. Maric seemed to be hunted by some force. Are he and Miss Sharron defectors from the Rose School of Thought? Did they defect because they did not want to become mad cultists?

With some guesses forming, Klein made The World say, “I am very satisfied with your answer. The transaction is complete.”

After that, the members shared what they had seen and the news they had learned.

Before his spirituality was exhausted, Klein ended the Tarot Gathering in time.

After the space above the gray fog returned to silence, with even his dummy gone, he began shuttling back and forth between the mysterious space and the real world, bringing the Master Key into the ancient palace.

Although I inferred from Roselle’s diary that the Apprentice pathway most likely has no Sequence 0, I still cannot be reckless. Sequence 1 and Sequence 2 might very well be able to counterattack remotely… And what if there really is a Sequence 0? I cannot gamble with my life…

After calming himself for a while, Klein wrote down a divination statement:

“Its source.”

Immediately afterward, he gripped the Master Key, lest the pronoun “it” point to the wrong target.

Leaning back against the chair, Klein silently recited the divination statement and gradually entered sleep.

Within a gray, illusory, fragmented world, he saw a bronze lamp stand upon which many candle flames flickered.

Around the lamp stand seemed to be a secret chamber. Not a single ray of outside light entered. There were long tables, a black iron pot, glass jars, brown notebooks, and other objects placed there.

A young man in a black classical robe stood before the long table, staring blankly at the potion in his hand.

“Ancestors, I am about to set foot on the path of the extraordinary. I will surely restore the glory of the Abraham family!”

He murmured to himself, then drank the potion.

The muscles of his face immediately twisted, revealing an expression of pain.

Abruptly, he let out a scream, fell to the ground, and began struggling, clutching repeatedly at his own throat.

Only a few seconds later, he tore apart his clothes, shed his skin, and transformed into a blood-drenched monster.

Bang!

Flesh and blood exploded outward. Every piece seemed to possess its own vitality, crawling constantly toward the surroundings and leaving behind marks of corrosion.

In the end, they failed to leave the secret chamber and slowly sank into stillness.

Points of light gathered together, combined with a severed finger, and turned into an ancient-looking brass key.

At the same time, Klein saw, among the scraps of clothing, a silver pocket watch set with diamonds.

The dream ended. He opened his eyes, looked ahead, and sighed.

“Honestly. He said he would restore the glory of the Abraham family, only to fail at the very first step… Becoming Sequence 9 carries a certain degree of risk too…”

The Abraham family had been a great noble family of the Fourth Epoch’s Tudor Dynasty. It was said that they controlled the Apprentice Beyonder pathway, though it was very likely incomplete.

Klein recalled the images he had seen just now and lightly tapped the edge of the long table with his finger, muttering as though to himself:

“He spoke Loenese. I cannot hear any specific regional accent.

“Pocket watches set only with pure diamonds and no other gemstones have been popular only in the past ten years.

“When I have time, I should visit Harvest Church again and ask Father Utravsky where he obtained the Master Key… Perhaps I can find some clues.”

Just as Klein was preparing to leave the space above the gray fog, the illusory star symbolizing The Magician began expanding and contracting. Fors was requesting permission to conduct a sacrificial ritual.

Fors normally would not carry so much cash on her, but she had previously been preparing to attend a Beyonder gathering and had therefore specially set aside five hundred pounds in case she could buy what she wanted. Who could have known that the corresponding gathering would be canceled due to the current situation? Now it was just enough to pay for the Apothecary formula and the acting method, totaling 430 pounds.

Seeing the curtain of light appear, and seeing the banknotes thrown into it vanish, Fors stared blankly for several seconds before reacting. She thanked Mr. Fool with full sincerity.

I can sell the Apothecary formula to Viscount Glaint for three hundred pounds. I should not be too greedy. That would damage a long-term cooperative relationship… As for Miss Audrey, I will leave it for now. She has hope of making contact with the Psychology Alchemists and directly obtaining the corresponding formula. If that truly does not work, I can buy it at the Tarot Gathering… Eh, I need to observe whether the acting method is effective. If it is, I will think about how to ask Mr. Fool… Mm… that fool Xio has usually been acting as an Arbiter already, and unknowingly meets the requirements of the acting method…

Fors began imagining the future.

At the same time that Klein received the 430 pounds, he also received a prayer from Miss Justice. She said that if Mr. Fool’s blessed one no longer needed cash, she could exchange a promise to collect Roselle’s diary for the two hundred pounds in banknotes, and she would make certain Mr. Fool was satisfied.

I am very satisfied. I only lack a few dozen pounds to reach one thousand!

Klein politely refused Miss Justice’s kindness.

Afterward, he busied himself again helping Student Sun “awaken” his memory of the Seven Gods’ information.

Once all of that was complete, Klein returned to the real world exhausted. He drew open the curtains and once again flipped through the case files of the serial murder case, searching for that possibly existing animal.